Diane Plastino Graves
http://www.slcdocs.com/Planning/MasterPlansMaps/LS.pdf

Diane Plastino Graves
https://www.spl.org/about-us/the-organization/budget-and-operations/library-levy

Complaints versus serious concerns and unanswered questions regarding the true costs and the impact on all taxpayers are two different issues. Although supporters of this project state there are no new taxes, that does not mean your existing taxes will not be increased to cover this very long-term debt, including an as yet unkown amount of transaction fees and interest for the Lease Financing component.

I wonder whose job it was to photo-shop The Cabin out of the bird's eye view photo of the proposed library? Or if they would have hesitated if their grandfather was one of the CCC boys who built it?

Library Meeting Minutes and City Council Work Sessions in 2017 show $40 million based on a combination remodel and addition to the existing structure, which would expand current space, and add space for the Arts & History Dept. as well as event space. With parking structure included, the budget increased to $50-60M. These budget figures were prior to Safdie gaining the City's attention. Since then, the numbers have ramped up. In addition, "budget" is not the same as "cost" at the end of the day.

Tammy Bixby
Thank you for making that clear. This is truly in my opinion the problem we are all having with this particular project. The city is taking too much of a high hand, not allowing real public opinion, not being truly transparent and not acting in good faith to its Community residence nor anybody

Alex Jones
Can someone please explain why the city of Boise signed a 45 year lease in 2011 on the property right across 8th St and River St? The library expansion has been on the books since the early 2000s so why did the city give away 1.3 acres to such a long lease? Having this land incorporated into the new library design would alleviate the shoehorn effect and allow space for parking, preservation of the Cabin and the important riparian habitat along the Boise River. This whole library plan needs to go back to the drawing board, because, in spite of the current political climate, use of public funds requires public input and approval. That means open discussion, cost analyses and a public vote on the project. CCDC is not the entity that gets to make up the rules as it goes along anymore.

City of Boise - Page 4 of the December 13, 2018 Library Meeting Minutes say, "The bird strike issue noted in the previous public comment phase has been resolved and just needs communicated to the public. Two options were provided by Safdi Architects and need to be costed." Why not provide that information ASAP - citizens want to know.

Alex Jones
Sure has been quiet. Accountability requires two way communication city folks.

City of Boise - What is the actual amount it would cost the City to buy out the lease?

)1) "Balanced" will require taking the 3% statutorily allowed budget increase every year - otherwise the funds will not be balanced. The budget presentation at the City Council Work Session on Jan. 22 acknowledges this requirement. (2) The project budget may be $80-85M but the project cost will not be. Even if the event center is delayed and major VE modifications are made, once you factor in interest and issuance/transaction fees over the life of the CCDC bonds and lease financing, the true cost will be millions more! (3) Three of the four funding sources will be directly paid via taxation of citizens and businesses.

M. Thomas
Well said!
Excerpts from FY 2019 budget showing the City's choice to disregard their own prioritization process in favor of this project:
p. 16 "As part of the due diligence process, capital projects are subject to prioritization and must compete for limited resources."
p. 139 "In FY 2017, staff developed a process for prioritizing capital projects, however for the FY 2019 capital plan this process was not employed..."

Also interesting that the 57% vote on the 2006 proposed library bond is so close to the "56% favorable sentiment" reading from the July 2018 open house comments. I was assured by the Library Director during the open house that this library project would not move forward without an "overwhelmingly favorable" sentiment. A sentiment just slightly lower than vote for a failed bond attempt hardly seems "overwhelmingly favorable."

. . . Therefore these results cleary show that this library is not a top priority to Boise citizens compared to other issues the City can/should focus on. The survey was designed to focus in on what the citizens say is their priority (essentially for spending tax payer money). How one "feels" about the choices listed in the survey that impact quality of life is an entirely different question, as well as being composed of elements that should be funded only after all basic core muncipal services are provided in an equal and fair manner.

Text below is directly from the City's survey describing exactly what the ranking determines: Respondents were shown a series of 7 screens, each one containing three out of the nine functions and they were ASKED TO IDENTIFY WHICH OF THE THREE IS MOST IMPORTANT and which is least important. The analysis is akin to asking a person, “If you were on a limited budget and could only afford two of these three items, which one must be kept, and which one would you cut?” This puts respondents in a position where they must make real trade-offs. They must pick something as a top priority and they must pick something as a low priority. The analysis results in a single chart, but a powerful one nonetheless. Not only does the analysis provide a rank-order of importance, but it provides an actual measure of how much more important one item is versus another. For example, in the chart below, the most important functions are, Safe and Secure City, Planning for Growth, and Environmental Sustainability. All three government functions are in close proximity meaning they are similarly important to residents.

The issue of The Cabin can be summarized in 2 simple statements - 1. It is not necessary to move it. 2. Not moving it costs nothing from the public purse. The disruption to the literary program's functioning for a year or two is "a cost" - but this is no different than the cost we all pay when development in our neighborhoods and ACHD road construction to accomodate growth disrupts our lives.

I recently learned that the Boise Cultural Master Plan was actually created by Karen Bubb who works in the Boise Arts & History Department. This just might be the only City Plan document that did not use outside consultants and large amounts of consulting fees. I respect this. But relocating The Cabin for this library project does not appear to respect this Plan, as this simply contradicts the very goals and initiatives of this plan. Whereas, leaving The Cabin where it was built supports the Cultural Master Plan’s initiatives of place making, historic preservation & interpretation, and cultural heritage tourism. City of Boise Cultural Master Plan (2017) Goal 2: Enhance & Preserve Neighborhood Places Strategy 2.1 Preserve Historical Connections • Preserve, promote, document, collect and celebrate Boise’s history at the neighborhood level. • Develop a cultural sites program that preserves and activates historical Boise locations. An important part of the cultural landscape is historic preservation, historic artifacts, and community resources (p.55). Boise’s Mayor and City Council know the importance of place based culture in making Boise the most livable city in the country. — Cultural Master Plan Fact Sheet

The 2018 City of Boise Citizen Survey data clearly show this type of project as a lesser priority, at this point in time. • Survey had nine (9) key areas representing different functions of government, ranked on a scale of 0 – 20. • Community services, which include libraries, came in 7th with a score of 8.82. This low ranking may be due to the fact that the City recently spent $8.5 million on the Harris Ranch/Southeast branch library in 2017, and that library expenditures historically tend not to rank high for Boise citizens, per the 57% vote on the 2006 proposed library bond.

Boise really cannot afford this, yet another $650,000 to relocate a piece of history, when the Public Safety Bond is 100% over budget, this library project will drive the Capital Fund into a negative position (as stated in the 2019 Annual Budget), City Staff personnel costs rise every year, and areas of the City lack equal tax supported municipal services.